The Disappearing Anglo Adventist I’ve been thinking about this for a week, and now you’re going to help me think about it. Last Thursday, I was sitting with a good friend, enjoying the dedication of the new North American Division conference office in Columbia, Maryland. A large academy choir marched
Trick or Treat! Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? It’s literally impossible to avoid Halloween these days. In a few days, everyone from Donald Trump to Pennywise the Clown will be knocking on our doors looking for candy. There will be parties and movies and fright nights in the woods, and haunted
Non-Christian Friends? 7 Reasons You Need Them Actually, the original title for this blog was, 7 Reasons You Need Some Heathen Friends. But that was a bit harsh. Plus, when I say heathen, I don’t see a hopeless sinner, I see Aunt Esther calling Fred a heathen in Sanford and
The Second Thing Every Leader Should Do! I was preaching in Philadelphia not long ago for young pastor Marquis Johns. I had a fantastic time at the North Philly Church. The worship was rich, the fellowship was great, and the church was alive. I sat in the study before and
Michael Nixon, Andrews U, and Race Historically, I’ve never been a big Andrews University fan. I graduated from Andrews, but in the same way you graduate from reform school or drivers school – I had to go. I was fresh out of Oakwood, and newly sponsored to pursue my call
Christ to Critics- “Stop Attacking My Wife!” Here’s the thing. Some people are going to read the title of this blog and totally miss the message of this blog. What do I mean? This is what I mean. It is absolutely appropriate to criticize the church. Frankly, we probably don’t
Chick fil A: What Your Church Can Learn – Part II What can your local church learn from a chicken store? Apparently, in the case of Chick-fil-A, quite a bit. I thought I was done with this story, but obviously there’s still meat on the bones! (I know. I couldn’t
Chick-fil-A: What Your Church Could Learn Since 2010, Chick-fil-A has been the most successful fast food restaurant in America. It leads the fast food industry in sales per store by a large margin. Like most “overnight success stories”, Chick-fil-A labored for more than 20 years before it opened its first
The Sharpton I Know As soon as I saw the flyer I knew there would be a fight. “Special Worship Experience with Carlton Byrd. Special Guest- Al Sharpton.” It was a much-needed community rally sponsored by the Oakwood University church. Dr. Byrd began the assembly with an address on unity
Why Adventist Ministers March It was 6 am Monday morning. I was dog tired, but on a plane to Washington D.C. For a moment, I wondered if I’d made a smart decision. Classes just started and I was also conducting a 2- week revival. I only had time to fly
When Should We Close a Local Church? It’s a sensitive topic. It’s an unpleasant reality. But many local churches seem to be dying right before our eyes. What was once a thriving center in a vibrant neighborhood is now a decaying island in a neighborhood long gone. The signs are
3 Words That Could Cripple The Race Crisis It was a year ago tomorrow that I wrote this blog about Charlottesville, race, and the church. Any change? Yes. Thing have gotten worse! There is something strange about the Charlottesville incident. It’s not as if any of this caught us by